My guess about the guy with the question mark on his costume is that he's the Question and he's supposed to be the Answer's sidekick. I believe he was in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: SWING SHIFT. I have no idea when or where this character came from.

My guess about the identity of the man with the shades to the left of Spot in panel 3 is Bushwacker.

Hey, did Spider-Man's SWING SHIFT special take place before or after WWH? IIRC Clown was there.

SWING SHIFT came after Brand New Day, which came after One More Day, which came after NEW AVENGERS ANNUAL #2, which came after WWH. (Although there was that whole debate about Strange's chronology vis-a-vis One More Day and NA@ 2.) And yes, Clown was in SWING SHIFT.

Paul Bourcier wrote:SWING SHIFT came after Brand New Day, which came after One More Day, which came after NEW AVENGERS ANNUAL #2, which came after WWH. (Although there was that whole debate about Strange's chronology vis-a-vis One More Day and NA@ 2.)

I still maintain that it doesn't make any sense to put a fully-powered, "at home" Strange appearance after NA@ 2, and if we need to fudge some Spider-Man stuff to make it not so, then the Spider-Man stuff gets dissolved in a pan with sugar and butter. If it had fallen apart like Silent War, then maybe it could have been otherwise, but Strange being depowered is still being played out as of now.

Sorry, can't agree. There's a wide range of wiggle room between "completely un-powered" and "fully powered" ... we know Dr. Strange isn't completely un-powered, so any magic he does can be looked at as "partially powered". Plus, he's recently well-known for magically altering the look of his mansion from "just fine" to "burnt-out hovel", so that can be overlooked as well.

Quite frankly -- Spidey's a more important character than Dr. Strange. Getting his chronology right means more to me than Dr. Strange's. Screwing up Spidey just to accomodate Dr. Strange, whose chronology errors can (as I've just pointed out) more easily be handwaved away, doesn't sit right at all with me.

Basically, it's a mistake, and something's got to give. Dr. Strange can, in my mind, "give" MORE EASILY than Spidey -- and with fewer repercussions -- therefore, he gets the screwjob.

I still don't get how the situation could make sense. The last time Dr. Strange's mansion was seen, it was at least partially destroyed (not the biggest problem on its own) and SHIELD finally had proof that it had been used as a hideout for unregistered heroes. Wouldn't that make it an incredibly risky place for Spider-Man and Wolverine to go and hang out? Aside from that, why would Dr. Strange come back there, or meet up with Wong again, or invite his old teammates over for breakfast, when he's supposed to be in exile?

To make matters even more confusing, the fact that Dr. Strange is in such a weakened state in that issue of ASM implies that it did indeed take place after the NA Annual. Also, Spidey, Wolvie, and Strange all talk as if the Sanctum Sanctorum is still being used as the New Avengers' hideout.

This is as good a place to ask as any: What's Dr. Strange, Wong, and Wolverine's "before" and "after" for ASM #555? I know placement is kind of wierd due to the whole "Dr. Strange has left the team" routine...